There are hundreds of solar companies developing new materials, new business models, new installation techniques and new manufacturing processes in an effort to bring down the cost and up the efficiency of solar panels. But there’s only one company that has made progress in 2009 with uniquely-designed solar tube-shaped panels: Solyndra.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/how-solyndras-solar-tubes-rocked-clean-power-in-2009/feed/1COP15 Technology Update: A Rally for Home Energy Informationhttp://inhabitat.com/cop15-technology-update-a-rally-for-home-energy-information/
http://inhabitat.com/cop15-technology-update-a-rally-for-home-energy-information/#commentsTue, 15 Dec 2009 14:55:27 +0000http://www.inhabitat.com/?p=75998COPENHAGEN - a report from Earth2TechUnleashing energy information within your home, and the use of gadgets and tools like Google's PowerMeter, DIY Kyoto and Tendril's energy dashboard just got a rallying call to action at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations]]>

Unleashing energy information within your home, and the use of gadgets and tools like Google’s PowerMeter, DIY Kyoto and Tendril’s energy dashboard just got a rallying call to action at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations going on this week. Google, GE, research firm The Climate Group and the National Resource Defense Council are calling for international governments to enable consumers to access real time energy information and say that energy information gadgets and tools could help consumers cut 15 percent off their energy bills through behavior change alone. The 45,000 attendees at the climate negotiations have a lot to think about right now — with the fisticuffs that happened Monday — but given research has shown that information technology can cut carbon emissions across sectors by 15 percent by 2020, these types of energy information tools can have a real impact in the near term.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/cop15-technology-update-a-rally-for-home-energy-information/feed/0Live from COP15: Optimism, Hard Work and Bridging the Dividehttp://inhabitat.com/live-from-cop15-optimism-hard-work-and-bridging-the-divide/
http://inhabitat.com/live-from-cop15-optimism-hard-work-and-bridging-the-divide/#commentsThu, 10 Dec 2009 19:02:35 +0000http://www.inhabitat.com/?p=75233COPENHAGEN, A report from Earth2Tech -- Four days deep into the Copenhagen climate negotiations a few things are clear: the glowing optimism of the opening ceremonies on Monday has faded, and now the reality of the hard work that is needed to bridge the gaping]]>

COPENHAGEN, A report from Earth2Tech — Four days deep into the Copenhagen climate negotiations a few things are clear: the glowing optimism of the opening ceremonies on Monday has faded, and now the reality of the hard work that is needed to bridge the gaping divide between developing and developed nations is looming ahead of the COP15 negotiators. They’ve got until the end of next week to get as close as possible to a greenhouse gas emissions reduction agreement, and as the United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer stressed in a press conference on Tuesday morning, “It’s time to put words into actions.”